A zero-waste picnic is a great way to entertain and catch up with friends. If you split up the tasks, the picnic should come together with ease. Here are some tips on what to bring to help get you started.
Words Makayla Wallace-Tidd
Reusable cutlery and tableware
Think picnic plates, cups and cutlery. Rather than spending money on compostable, single-use plates, take a few things from home to create your picnic kit.
Buy bulk or make your own
When it comes to food packaging, avoid it by buying in bulk. If you aren’t able to access a bulk store, you can opt to buy tinned food so the aluminium can be recycled. A grazing platter or finger foods for the picnic is a good idea to lower the amount of packaging that will come with the ingredients. Make some homemade hummus with chickpeas, share some deli meats that you picked up from the store in your re-usable container and offer some breads and cheeses from the market you have stored in linen bags or beeswax wraps.
Drinks
For drinks, consider making your own iced tea using compostable tea bags a few hours before the picnic. Fruit-infused water is also a great option.
Communicate and delegate
Assign different responsibilities to each friend. One can provide the tableware and blanket and take them home to wash. Another can bring the bread and cheese. Another friend can bring the meat and dips. And finally any cans or glass bottles can be taken home by someone to be recycled.
